Take a Lesson from Bush on Healthcare
Last week George W Bush, leader of the free world (I assume that means Canada, and even the USA when/after Haiti sends in troops to monitor their elections)was in Minnesota to talk at a panel discussion on HealthCare in America. The USA, of course, has different issues then Canada in regards to healthcare. Subsequencially, it has different approaches and different solutions.
On August 23rd, at 139th Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Medical Association in PEI, they elected a new president. The new president of the CMA, Dr. Collin McMillan, has been a vocal proponent of more privitized healthcare in Canada. For some reason it hardly makes the news in Canadian media that it looks like the CMA is starting to embrace the idea of more private delivery in healthcare.
Truth is we can learn alot from looking at some of the ideas coming out of GWB's Whitehouse, although some is just plain silly or doesn't apply here. Even the CMA is acknowledging that it's not additional funding that's required to save healthcare. What we need is better accountibility for the funding healthcare already recieves. President GWBush has been talking about this idea of a Health Savings Account (HSA). Supposedly, this would inhibit frivilous trips to the doctor/hospital.
One example of the different approach is a quote from GWB's recent speech, "...I would say there's a choice between having the government make decisions or consumers make decisions. I stand on the side of encouraging consumers. I think the most important relationship in health care is between the patient and their provider..." In contrast we always have the stupid Public Vs Private debate. When we talk about the cost of healthcare, it usually goes into an argument that private providers will cost the consumer out of pocket. Or that private insurers will cost consumers more then we can afford. When we debate who's providing the services, we then go on about who's paying for them. We presuppose that in the end, the doctors are actually the ones always making choices. Because unlike consumers, doctors have been educated in what's best for us.
While it seems all Canadian political parties want to keep the single payer system, I don't quite understand the opposition to more choice in healthcare providers. GWBush suggests that people should have more choice, not only in providers, but which kind of service we use; Like the choice between a lazer or a scapel to remove a tumour. Personally I'ld rather leave that to doctors to decide.
Funny, but of the five priorities that the Harper Gov't promised, the one that doesn't seem to be tackled is the Wait Times Guarantee. In fact it's been announced that this plan will take two more years before it's introduced. It's understandable that this is a disappointment for many. The opposition have begun to hammer the Tories on this already.
Somebody in this community recently told me the problem isn't wait times, but access. I think the two are intimately related, but that's me. I havn't seen much issue with access, although I've heard the hearsay. The problem seems more with waiting. But it seems this isn't even an issue in the USA, and yet we don't look south and ask how they achieved it, and how it we can apply it here. The critics dismiss the solution as "evil Americanization". That's a silly argument, worthy of preschoolers, but that's what passes as valid in Canada.
On August 23rd, at 139th Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Medical Association in PEI, they elected a new president. The new president of the CMA, Dr. Collin McMillan, has been a vocal proponent of more privitized healthcare in Canada. For some reason it hardly makes the news in Canadian media that it looks like the CMA is starting to embrace the idea of more private delivery in healthcare.
Truth is we can learn alot from looking at some of the ideas coming out of GWB's Whitehouse, although some is just plain silly or doesn't apply here. Even the CMA is acknowledging that it's not additional funding that's required to save healthcare. What we need is better accountibility for the funding healthcare already recieves. President GWBush has been talking about this idea of a Health Savings Account (HSA). Supposedly, this would inhibit frivilous trips to the doctor/hospital.
One example of the different approach is a quote from GWB's recent speech, "...I would say there's a choice between having the government make decisions or consumers make decisions. I stand on the side of encouraging consumers. I think the most important relationship in health care is between the patient and their provider..." In contrast we always have the stupid Public Vs Private debate. When we talk about the cost of healthcare, it usually goes into an argument that private providers will cost the consumer out of pocket. Or that private insurers will cost consumers more then we can afford. When we debate who's providing the services, we then go on about who's paying for them. We presuppose that in the end, the doctors are actually the ones always making choices. Because unlike consumers, doctors have been educated in what's best for us.
While it seems all Canadian political parties want to keep the single payer system, I don't quite understand the opposition to more choice in healthcare providers. GWBush suggests that people should have more choice, not only in providers, but which kind of service we use; Like the choice between a lazer or a scapel to remove a tumour. Personally I'ld rather leave that to doctors to decide.
Funny, but of the five priorities that the Harper Gov't promised, the one that doesn't seem to be tackled is the Wait Times Guarantee. In fact it's been announced that this plan will take two more years before it's introduced. It's understandable that this is a disappointment for many. The opposition have begun to hammer the Tories on this already.
Somebody in this community recently told me the problem isn't wait times, but access. I think the two are intimately related, but that's me. I havn't seen much issue with access, although I've heard the hearsay. The problem seems more with waiting. But it seems this isn't even an issue in the USA, and yet we don't look south and ask how they achieved it, and how it we can apply it here. The critics dismiss the solution as "evil Americanization". That's a silly argument, worthy of preschoolers, but that's what passes as valid in Canada.